Various devices have been suggested to provide resistance to activities, which include swinging or bending of the arms and/or legs and/or body. For example, in the use of one type of such devices, a garment that includes a resistance material is provided such that when the user performs certain activities, such as bending motions of the hands, legs or body, energy is expended in stretching the resistance material. Thus, when worn over prolonged periods of time, these devices are thought of as a means of aiding in fitness and exercise in the sense that the energy expended during an activity by someone wearing the garment would be more than if the same person were involved in the same activity without wearing the garment.
Another type of such device involves the use of garments where elastic elements such as elastic cords or bands which are attached to the garment are used to provide resistance. For example, one such garment includes an outer and an inner layer joined together, wherein each layer has a shirt and trouser section. Elastic band members are disposed between the inner and outer layers of the suit. Another such garment includes an article of clothing including gloves and socks worn on the body with anchor members worn at the gloves and socks. A connecting element is connected to the article of clothing and the anchor members by interconnecting the gloves. A second set of connecting members connect the socks to the garment. Each connecting element is made of an elastic material so as to offer resistance during the movement of the arm or leg in motion. Finally, another such garment includes an elastic ring section secured to the base fabric of the garment. The elastic ring section is made of a material which applies a greater longitudinal resistance force to the body of the wearer than the material of the base fabric. The base fabric is located longitudinally outwardly of the ring section so that there are alternating regions of differing longitudinal resistive characteristics.
Nevertheless, such devices experience a number of drawbacks. One of the drawbacks is the inability of such devices to provide high levels of resistance necessary for building strength of muscle. Thus, if used as a sole source of resistance, such devices typically can be utilized only as a supplement to an already existing resistance producing activity. Users engaged in strength training or muscle building must use such devices in conjunction with other resistance producing devices in order to achieve the desired level of resistance.
Another drawback of such devices is that the desired level of resistance provided by such devices cannot be readily varied by the user. Thus, users of such devices cannot engage in a typical strength or muscle building activity whereby resistance is increased in subsequent sets of a routine while the number of repetitions is decreased, or in other types of routines which require varying levels of resistance.
Moreover, such devices typically are not compact in size. Even if such devices were sufficiently compact, their inability to produce high and varying levels of resistance would require users of such devices to use additional resistance producing devices, in order to incorporate more than one resistance setting.
Finally, the devices which are incorporated into garments typically cannot be used without the garments. Similarly, other devices, which are used without being incorporated into garments, typically cannot be incorporated into garments.
Thus, what would be desirable would be a device that would be capable of producing high levels of resistance. What would also be desirable would be a device capable of producing resistance of varying levels, whereby the level of resistance could readily be adjusted by users. What would also be desirable would be a device which would also be sufficiently compact in size to allow users to transport such device easily to any desired setting. Finally, what would be desirable would be a device that could be utilized on its own or which could be incorporated into a garment.